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Each piece of the massive collection belonging to the late Lee Roy Hartung--which ranged from vintage cars to baby carriages--sold during a three-day auction totaling $3.95 million in sales.

Hartung died in May, leaving behind a collection amassed over the past 50 years. Auctions America then moved in to set up and conduct the auction Nov. 3-5 at Hartung’s residence in Glenview, Ill.

There were 48 motorcycles, 75 cars and numerous pieces of “nostalgia” for sale. In all, 1,580 lots crossed the auction block, and everything sold.

The 1911 Flying Merkel Twin Belt Drive motorcycle took top honors, selling for $201,250. Other notable sales were the state runs of license plates (Hartung collected each style of plate) of Arizona and West Virginia that sold for $29,900 each.

But the sale of the 1950 Veritas BMW to renowned motorcycle collector Dale Walksler was a surprise. The car was built using BMW components by West German automaker Veritas, which primarily made race cars during its short lifetime. The coachwork was done by Hermann Spohn, who designed bodies for Maybach and is responsible for the coachwork on the 1956 Cadillac Valkyrie.

Walksler, a longtime friend of Hartung, owns the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, N.C. The museum is home to more than 300 vintage motorcycles from makers including Harley-Davidson, Indian, Crocker and Henderson, all of which run. The museum also has thousands of motorcycle photographs, memorabilia and artifacts, according to the museum’s Web site, www.wheelsthroughtime.com.

Noted collector Joe Bortz, who was Hartung’s pal, said Walksler was on site helping the Auctions America team assess the 48 motorcycles stored in Hartung’s large barn.

“As he told me, he never said he’d buy any of the cars there,” Bortz said. “But when they were dragging out the Veritas, [Auctions America] asked him if he would get in and steer. It was like love at first sight. He instantly knew that he had to have that car.”

Walksler bought the Veritas for $195,000 when the hammer dropped, making it the highest-selling car at the auction.

“I’ve always had cars and I’ve always had a huge interest in cars since I was a kid,” Walksler said. “When the hammer dropped, I just couldn’t believe it. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d own that car.”

Walksler says he plans to get the car back into working order.

“I drive everything,” he said. “Wayne [Carini, of TV’s Chasing Classic Cars fame] seems to think that it would be a likely candidate for Pebble Beach, which I would be honored if that happened.”